Mistaken Canary Chapter 70
Chapter 70
After watching Zhuo Shu and Ying Tongchen come and go together for several consecutive days, the employees at K.W. had grown accustomed enough to face them without batting an eye. They even created a special gossip group chat.
{Just now, when boss was in a meeting, Mr. Ying found a bunch of excuses to linger outside the conference room, secretly peeking inside. Spying.jpg}
{That’s so cute omfg. Mr. Ying isn’t nearly as aloof as he looks! Yesterday he even joined our workaholic tea break to vent about chairman with us.}
{These past few days, Chairman Zhuo has been eating at the company cafeteria, of course with Mr. Ying there too. They always sit together in the corner.}
{I was the last to leave last night, and when I left, Mr. Ying and Boss Zhuo were still engaged in grown-up nighttime activities!}
{Oh fk, spill the tea—what kinda nighttime office activities!?}
{I’m ready! In front-row seats and popcorn in hand! Gimme dets!}
{Omg guys, get your mind out of the gutter! Of course, by ‘nighttime activities’, I mean ‘overtime work’, what else could it be?}
{Not sure if my gaydar’s playing tricks on me, but I always feel like the energy between those two is just perfect—like a dual magnetic field. One shared glance and there’s this electric spark! One that others can’t intrude and interrupt.}
{You’re not alone, my comrade!}
...
Ying Tongchen sat in the chairman’s office reviewing the studio’s marketing plan. It was one of his major challenges—how to tap into resources, maintain clients, and handle marketing, all of which required a certain expertise.
But this was precisely Zhuo Shu’s strength.
He stood up and walked over to Zhuo Shu’s side, pointing to a specific detail. “Do you think there’s a problem here?”
Zhuo Shu studied it carefully for a moment, then looked at him. “Not bad at all. Your intuition is quite sharp.”
Ying Tongchen pointed to another area, “Would it be better if I cut this part?”
Zhuo Shu pondered briefly and replied, “You don’t have to delete it. There’s a way to turn waste into treasure.”
“What is it?”
Zhuo Shu suddenly raised the file to hide their face from the door, pointed to his left cheek, and gave a suggestive, teasing look. “Want to know?”
Ying Tongchen bent down, leaning in to look closely at his left cheek.
Just as Zhuo Shu was secretly pleased with himself, Ying Tongchen unexpectedly grabbed his cheek, causing the expression behind the file folder to instantly distort.
“Chairman Zhuo, there’s—sorry to interrupt.” Mi Shu had just reached the door and, seeing their faces both hidden behind the file, could guess they were up to no good. She quickly stepped back two paces, preparing to leave.
“Wait.” Zhuo Shu immediately called after her, finally freed from Ying Tongchen’s grip.
With a straight face, he dropped the file and, taking advantage of having an outsider present to avenge both work and personal grievances, sternly scolded Ying Tongchen. “You can’t figure out such a minor thing? Looks like I have to give you a good ♂ lesson. Go to my private lounge and wait for me. Just wait and see how I’ll deal with you.”
Mi Shu immediately caught on. “I’ll go prepare the essentials right away.”
Ying Tongchen: “...”
Mi Shu quickly fled the scene, thoughtfully lowering the window blinds and closing the door behind her.
Ying Tongchen picked up the file and started smashing it against Zhuo Shu’s head.
Zhuo Shu exposed a pained yet blissful smile.
After cornering Ying Tongchen in bed, he slowly explained the solution to him.
He realized this method was absolutely genius!
Ying Tongchen was unusually cooperative—and even a bit fierce—occasionally grinding his teeth in frustration, which only made Zhuo Shu’s desire grow stronger.
I loved the way you glare at me but still let me do you.
Zhuo Shu: (*^▽^*)
…
At dinnertime, the two headed straight to the cafeteria. No sooner had they sat down than they noticed something different about the surroundings.
In the middle of the cafeteria, these popular seats were spacious, bright, and convenient—and today, they were completely empty.
The surrounding seats were packed with people whose plates were nearly finished, and the volume of their chatter was noticeably louder than usual.
But listening carefully, Ying Tongchen realized they were speaking in what sounded like bird language.
“%…Y\&#@￥”
Ying Tongchen: “……”
Zhuo Shu sensed countless gazes from behind. He turned around and saw his employees talking even louder, as if trying to cover something up.
“%…Y\&#@!!”
“Come on, eat up,” Ying Tongchen said just as the surrounding chatter suddenly quieted down. He cautiously added, “Tonight, I’ll stay—”
…the entire cafeteria was breathless, waiting for tea…
“—stay to help you supervise their overtime,” Ying Tongchen said coolly.
“Great, let’s see who’s last tonight. It must be that their efficiency isn’t good enough so they’re working this late. I’d better seriously consider whether they deserve a promotion,” Zhuo Shu replied with a straight face.
The crowd instantly scattered, running back to work without looking back.
Ying Tongchen glanced at their retreating backs and exchanged a brief look with Zhuo Shu before they both burst out laughing.
…
One day, Zhuo Shu noticed that Ying Tongchen often chatted with the staff in the break room. Curious, he quietly pulled Mi Shu into his office and asked, “What do they talk about all day long?”
Mi Shu glanced toward the break room and vaguely heard several female colleagues calling out to Mr. Ying, followed by a burst of laughter.
She then took a quick look at her boss’s slightly troubled expression and vaguely said, “They’ve been talking about you with Mr. Ying.”
“About me?” Zhuo Shu was momentarily stunned, then instinctively raised his chin, proud. “What exactly do they say?”
Mi Shu continued with her white lies, “They praised you as swift and decisive, always delivering results, sharp and efficient, seasoned and composed, more ruin than results—” She abruptly stopped.
Zhuo Shu: "?"
Mi Shu quickly corrected herself, “Oh, that last part—‘more ruin than results’—wasn’t said by them. That was from your boyfriend.”
Zhuo Shu’s expression softened for a moment before turning stern again. “They’re wrong.”
Mi Shu was startled and asked nervously, “What part is wrong?”
“They forgot to mention how charming and handsome I am,” Zhuo Shu sighed, "Could it be that my talent completely overshadowed my handsome appearance?”
Mi Shu: “......”
Get real!
No matter how good-looking a capitalist is, keep him around long enough and he’s just a mobile ATM. No feelings, no soul.
Zhuo Shu then asked expectantly, “What about Tongchen? What are his thoughts?”
“He agrees with them!” Mi Shu continued her shameless bluff without batting an eye. “He even said you’re the most perfect man he’s ever met—the only flaw being that you don’t have any.”
“Hmm.” Zhuo Shu calmly waved his hand, “Back to work.”
Mi Shu gracefully took her leave, but just as she stepped outside the door, the sound of tap dancing echoed from inside the room.
“......”
Before long, the secretaries received a covert work mission.
They glanced at each other, all wearing expressions of confusion mixed with reluctance.
“Did you see the notice? We’re supposed to praise Chairman Zhuo every day?”
“And we have to cover both inside and outside—complimenting both his looks and his talents?”
“Will this task count toward our KPIs (Key Performance Indicator)?”
Only Mi Shu alone was above the mortal fray, desireless and enlightened. “Just do it. Don’t try to guess what boss is thinking—you won’t figure it out no matter how much you try.”
Though she could guess her boss’s true intentions with just a hair’s breadth of intuition, she dared not say a word.
She was still just a twenty-something baby—why must she bear so much?
Thus, for the next two days, Ying Tongchen kept hearing praise for the chairman from every corner, a flood of flattering words.
When he arrived at the break room, the members of the corporate tea talk were already seated in their usual spots, ready to launch into their usual banter.
Ying Tongchen filled his cup and sat down across from them. The commiseration conversations was about to begin.
One employee began, “Looks like we get to work overtime again tonight! Yey! So happy!”
“?” Ying Tongchen noticed her forced smile and asked, “You’re happy about working overtime?”
“Of course,” she replied with a fake grin. “Gossip is precious, but life is even more valuable. If it’s for overtime, then both can be thrown away. I love work; work makes me happy. As long as it doesn’t kill me, I’ll work myself to death.”
Ying Tongchen: “?”
This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. At this hour, aren’t we supposed to be roasting the boss? Did I walk into the wrong meeting? This isn’t our usual complaint session, is it?
Another employee chimed in, “I’m endlessly grateful to Chairman Zhuo, for giving us the chance to work overtime. Such great kindness—I would never forget it, even if I became a ghost!”
The tone was a little creepy, so Ying Tongchen inquired, “So... do you all actually hate him?”
The last person spoke firmly, “We don’t hate Chairman Zhuo at all. He’s basically my guiding light!” —a light leading straight to the underworld. “Maybe you’d call it cruel, but others would call it love—tough love!*”
(TLN: Of course this is another reference lmao. The last line is a song lyrics from the Disney Villains Musical, ‘Tough Love’ by PattyCake Productions. I’ll link the video below, it’s quite the catchy song.)
Others chimed in: “Tough love!”
Ying Tongchen: ...Why is this turning into a musical?
…
At dinner, Ying Tongchen and Zhuo Shu were eating in the cafeteria when a few employees carrying trays of dinner remains passed by, saying to their table, “Chairman Zhuo, what a coincidence, you came to eat in person too?”
“As expected of Chairman Zhuo—leading by example in everything! Master at everything, number one when eating, working past the moon’s dimming.”
“Chairman Zhuo’s good looks are on full display today! Handsome and radiant enough to nearly blind my inexperienced eyes.”
“No exaggeration—I’ve never seen a man more handsome than Chairman Zhuo.”
Zhuo Shu was thoroughly pleased by the flattering praises, especially in front of Ying Tongchen. His heart fluttered, but his face stayed stern as he said, “While no one’s more handsome than me, Mr. Ying can surely hold his own, right?”
The employees: “Yes, yes, Mr. Ying is also the bestest!”
Ying Tongchen: “...”
Ying Tongchen suddenly felt that this learning journey might be ready for an early graduation.
…
Just before the Chinese New Year holiday, Ying Tongchen woke up early. The old man had already prepared breakfast in the dining room.
Since he needed to buy shares from Lu Zongcai and Gao Da, the house he had just moved into was mortgaged as collateral. There was no point in decorating it nicely now, so he decided to move to the old man’s place and mooch free meals.
After breakfast, he hurried to go to Zhuo Shu’s company.
On the way, he received an unexpected call from Lu Zongcai and quickly changed his destination to Yale Lexis Translation Studio to handle the share transfer procedures with the couple.
They had lunch together at noon, then he went back to the studio to work for a while longer before sending the two off.
Lu Zongcai smiled and said, “Both Amy and the secretary are familiar with our operations. If you need anything, they’re your go-to. Once we've got stability abroad, we’ll reconnect for collaboration.”
“Alright, that day won’t be far,” Ying Tongchen smiled gently. “Take care, and Happy Chinese New Year in advance.”
After watching the car leave, he turned to head back into the studio but noticed a lonely, dispirited figure ahead to his right.
It was a girl from his class.
The girl squatted down by the roadside, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Ying Tongchen strode over and asked, “Noe Name, what are you doing here?”
Noe Name looked up, her eyes red and streaked with tears.
Seeing it was Teacher Ying, she suddenly burst into sobs, clinging to his leg and crying loudly, “Boohooooo, Mr. Ying, my parents went to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Last night I overheard them secretly talking about divorce. Boohooooo, I don’t want them to divorce.”
This hit a blind spot for Ying Tongchen, who personally was quite indifferent—even somewhat glad—about his parents divorcing.
As he fell silent, he noticed strange looks from passersby around them.
He glanced down at their posture—the girl clutching his leg, sobbing uncontrollably, making unabashed cries, while he remained still and motionless. The scene looked exactly like a scumbag abandoning a girl...
“Don’t cry for now,” Ying Tongchen soothed, handing her some tissues. “Do you want to go find them?”
(TLN: Chinese people typically carry pocket tissues as a daily convenience.)
“Yes,” Noe Name took the tissues, wiped her tears, blew her nose, and casually crushed the ants near her foot. “I want to ask why they have to hide it from me secretly. Do they look down on me?”
…
At dusk, after finishing several meetings, Zhuo Shu returned to the office and noticed Ying Tongchen’s desk was empty. He asked Mi Shu, “Has Tongchen gone to the break room again?”
“No, Mr. Ying did not come to the company today,” Mi Shu replied.
“No?” Zhuo Shu paused, pulled out his phone to check messages—no unread ones. He then dialed Ying Tongchen directly.
After several rings, the call was hurriedly answered, “What is it?”
Zhuo Shu asked, “Where are you?”
“I’m at the Civil Affairs Bureau,” Ying Tongchen replied. Then he saw Noe Name dash inside and hurried after her. “We’ll talk later, I need to go in.”
Beep—
Zhuo Shu’s phone dropped to the floor with a sharp “bam”.
Mi Shu silently widened her eyes, staring at her boss whose expression shifted wildly just from a phone call. A terrifying thought flashed in her mind—had Mr. Ying finally been cuckolded by Zhuo Shu?!
So thrilling, she loved it!
Curious for clari-tea, she asked, “Chairman Zhuo, what’s wrong??
Why not share your unhappiness and let us all enjoy?
Zhuo Shu stood frozen for a long moment before finally bending down to pick up his phone, then stiffly turned around to look at her.
It was unclear what crossed his mind, but his previously calm eyes suddenly sparked with twin flames.
Civil Affairs Bureau...
Ying Tongchen was actually at the Civil Affairs Bureau...
He hadn’t appeared at the company all day; had he’d spent the whole day there?
What did that mean?
Zhuo Shu paced back and forth on the spot, sometimes looking up to the sky with a sigh, sometimes clenching his fists quietly. He was like a piglet let loose for the Chinese New Year*—excited and running around wildly.
(TLN: During Chinese New Year, it’s common for a village to slay and roast a whole pig to celebrate. A freed piggy means it can live for another year.)
“Chairman...” Mi Shu pleaded nervously, “Please be rational—stop racewalking. You can’t even outrun an ant.”
Suddenly Zhuo Shu spun around and pointed in her direction. “I get it now. I understand everything.”
“What do you understand this time?”
Zhuo Shu said confidently, “He’s hinting that he wants me to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with him.”
Mi Shu weakly asked, “Really?”
Then if her boyfriend often said he wanted to visit the Terracotta Army, did that mean he wanted them to become a famous landmark together someday?
It’s over—her boyfriend also likes tomb raiding and Shaolin Arts*!
(TLN: Tomb raiding’s pretty intuitive, but for Shaolin Arts, welp, the discipline incorporates celibacy as part of their training. In other words, people who train in Shaolin Arts abstain from sex.)
“Absolutely. You just don’t understand men’s minds, especially someone like Tongchen who always hides his feelings. You can’t take things for face value. Mentioning the Civil Affairs Bureau at a time like this definitely carries a special hint,” Zhuo Shu said.
Mi Shu: No! I just don’t understand your straight gay mind!
“Now that I know his true intention, I can’t let him down.” Zhuo Shu took a deep breath, gazed at the setting sun outside the window, and solemnly declared, “So, I’ve decided—I have to propose.”
.
.
.
TL Note: This whole thing is blown out of proportions, and I love it
Also, here’s the referenced song, ‘Tough Love’ - https://youtu.be/kBF5l9rWQFs?si=Pm0BAJRNVmlpSFxC&t=89